With
the imminent arrival of the
iphone, Sony Ericsoon is going head to head with the computer giant with
the release of the W960i. It is really a replacement for the W950i, but promises
a lot more, not least an 8GB internal memory that can store up to 8000 songs. Does
this spell the end for separate mp3 players and phones?
The W960i has a massively upgraded 3.2 megapixel camera. This is not a s great as
the
Nokia N95
or the
Samsung
G600 however Sony have a reputation for creating high quality lenses that
often perform better on lower resolutions than those of the Nokia and Samsung brands.
The music player has also been upgraded. It uses Sony's slicker walkman 3.0 and
has integrated shake controls a feature seen on Sony's S200 walkmans. The sound
quality is of the highest standard and probably one of its best features. Those
of you who have previously owned a Sony Ericsson walkman phone before will know
about the sound quality of the walkman series and it seems that they have pushed
it on a little more in the w960i.
The overall design of the W960i is clean and functional. It is yet another area
that Sony Ericsson has improved upon from the previous W950i model. One particular
improvement is in the keypad. It is now much more functional with solid mechanised
keys.
The shake controls are a welcome addition, they allow you to change tracks by shaking
the phone rather. This means that instead of pressing buttons, which can be difficult
if you're out running for example, you can shake the phone to go forwards or backwards
through your track listings. It can be a little difficult to get used to, but once
you get the hang of it does work quite well.